In a series of coordinated operations spanning multiple states, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized over four tons of illicit and controlled substances, including nitrous oxide (commonly known as laughing gas), skunk, codeine syrup, methamphetamine, and tramadol.
The largest interception occurred on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway, where NDLEA officers apprehended two suspects, Onyebuchi Ikpozu and Kenneth Igwe, transporting 1,194 cylinders of laughing gas weighing a total of 2,547.2 kilograms. The cylinders were concealed in two Toyota Sienna buses, marked KTU 582 HV and FKJ 329 YA. The substances were destined for distribution in the nation’s capital, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of a 48-year-old woman, Mrs. Ugo Eluba, who was found to be in possession of 2,400 ampules of pentazocine injection and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5, substances previously intercepted in Kogi State.
In a separate operation in the FCT, 977 kilograms of skunk were seized from a trailer marked LSR 343 XW, which was originally loaded with cartons of Maggi. The skunk, destined for distribution in Sokoto and Gwagwalada, led to the arrest of two suspects, Auwal Mohammed and Abdullahi Abubakar.
In addition to these operations, NDLEA officers arrested Mutari Abdulazeez and Ayuba Madaki in the FCT with different quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis, and 13,930 pills of tramadol.
In Jigawa state, Shuaibu Yusif and Abubakar Hussaini were apprehended with 89.1 kilograms of skunk along the Kano-Hadejia road during a stop-and-search patrol.
Usman Musa Sidi was found in possession of over 6,000 ampules of pentazocine injection in Kaduna while en route to Bauchi. A subsequent operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of Dominic Chukwuma, the owner of the confiscated consignment, along with 2.58 kilograms of diazepam and 36.55 kilograms of pentazocine injection recovered from his residence.
Further arrests were made in Kano, with Inuwa Nuhu and Isiyaku Dahiru Sani detained in connection with the seizure of 49 blocks of cannabis sativa concealed in a black sack weighing 26 kilograms in a commercial vehicle traveling from Ogere, Ogun State, to Kano.
Lastly, 183 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, were seized from compartments in a J5 bus intercepted in Lagos. In Sokoto, Charles Okeke was arrested with 473 bottles of codeine syrup. In Edo State, 365 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 258 kilograms were recovered from a Toyota Camry car.
Additionally, NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts, conducting lectures and advocacy visits to various institutions and communities.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the agency’s officers for their diligence in making these arrests and seizures. He also applauded their nationwide efforts to raise awareness about the consequences of drug abuse through WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy.
